versions of us

12 October - 15 October 2017

“This is youth theatre at its best, passionately conceived, vigorously devised and honestly and believably performed with a strong sense of personal ownership."

Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle

about

A group of teenagers go through the motions of a typical twenty-four hours. Like a fly on the wall, we watch them. They watch us watch them. Between their intimate encounters, explodes moments of of poetry and chaos that fight against an insistence to perform “normal” for an audience. Co-created with a collaborating ensemble of young actors, versions of us is an intimate and patchworked theatre experience. The teenage cast from Canberra Youth Theatre lend versions of us an unsettling image of normality and youth.

reviews

“A performance that would be right at home as part of the Edinburgh Fringe”

Foyer Talk

“One of the reasons it works so well is the quality of the writing. There are quite shocking moments of pain and disappointment in relationships and friendships as well as naivety and street-wise cynicism. Writer, Emily Sheehan, has fashioned the content into theatre dialogue that is highly playable and has the ring of truth about it."

Canberra Critics Circle

“This is youth theatre at its best, passionately conceived, vigorously devised and honestly and believably performed with a strong sense of personal ownership."

Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle

Social media praise

"I was completely blown away last night by seeing 'Versions of Us'. The young cast were absolutely remarkable. But I was particularly moved by the poetry of the language."

- Laura Tingle

"A truly beautiful and often upsetting journey through being a teenager, through the casual brutality of school life, and the fear and optimism for what comes next." - Thomas R

"Such a beautiful play that has really touched me and every audience that's seen it. For me, I particularly loved the scenes that depicted the struggle to fit in and the way we compromise ourselves in order to be liked or perceived in a certain way." - Tomas V